Mexican Layer Dip | The Ultimate Recipe!

Mexican Layer Dip is an easy appetizer perfect for feeding any crowd. Whether you’re looking to serve one up at this year’s Super Bowl party, holiday gathering, or contribute the best potluck dish in the house, you can count on this Seven Layered Dip to win over any room!

It comes together quickly and features layer-upon-layer of savory goodness like bean dip, guacamole, and more. Quickly find out what makes this the ultimate Mexican Layer Dip, along with make-ahead tips and more!

Mexican Layer Dip is a Tex-Mex inspired, gluten-free party dip featuring individual layers of bean dip, guacamole, sour cream, grated cheese, and a variety of fresh vegetable toppings. Each vegetable topping is considered its own “layer.”

It’s great for entertaining as it can be served cold or at room temperature, and is served best alongside tortilla chips and/or Fritos. Mexican Layer Dip soars in popularity come Super Bowl time, but it is a wonderful dip for feeding a crowd any time of year.

THE 7 LAYERS OF MEXICAN LAYER DIP

LAYER 1: Bean Dip

LAYER 2: Guacamole

LAYER 3: Sour Cream

LAYER 4: Cheddar Cheese

LAYER 5: Black Olives

LAYER 6: Tomatoes

LAYER 7: Green Onions

This particular Mexican Layer Dip soars high above the rest thanks to an easy, homemade guacamole, a sour cream layer loaded with flavor, and good quality grated Cheddar cheese.

Some Seven Layer Dips will call for salsa, but often times, a layer of salsa will bleed into the other layers of your dip, making for a messy presentation and a muddied flavor profile. Diced Roma tomatoes are a much better option for Mexican Layer Dip as they add a bright and refreshing note to the dip.

HOW TO MAKE MEXICAN LAYER DIP

The main layers of Mexican Layer Dip (which are technically the only true “layers”) are the bean dip, the guacamole, the sour cream, and the Cheddar cheese. The rest of the ingredients are really more like toppings.

You might have noticed the layers in Seven Layer Dip go heaviest (or most dense) to lightest. This helps each new layer to spread properly on top of the former.

Mash together avocado, lime juice, and salt.

Mix sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, and taco seasoning.

Spread bean dip across bottom of dish, followed by guacamole, then sour cream mixture.

Add layer of Cheddar, and sprinkle top with olives, tomatoes, and green onions.

LAYER 1: THE BEAN DIP

For extra flavor, use ready-made bean dip rather than just plain refried beans. I used two cans of Frito’s Bean Dip for this recipe.

LAYER 2: THE GUACAMOLE

You might have noticed this recipe calls for making your own guacamole rather than using a store-bought version. While a store-bought version could be subbed in, I highly recommend you make your own. Homemade guacamole is quick and easy to make and requires minimal effort. If you need help picking out avocados, cutting into them, or just working with them in general, you’ll find plenty of useful tips and guidance in this article on making Authentic Guacamole.

In addition to guacamole being a cinch to make, you’ll likely find store-bought guacamole is loaded with citric acid that tickles the tongue almost like a carbonated beverage. I don’t know about you, but I prefer my guacamole without the bubble effect.

LAYER 3: THE SOUR CREAM

This layer sets this recipe apart from the rest. Rather than just slathering on a layer of plain Jane sour cream, the sour cream layer in this recipe is loaded with flavor. It comes together almost like a dip in itself consisting mostly of sour cream, but with the addition of mayonnaise for extra creaminess, vinegar for a little tang, and taco seasoning for a great big punch of flavor.

This mixture comes together in a matter of minutes and gives a major upgrade to your standard Seven Layer Dip. However, if time is of the essence, you can skip the mixing and omit the mayonnaise, vinegar, and taco seasoning altogether, and use solely sour cream. If so, use a total of 1 cup of sour cream for instead.

LAYER 4: THE CHEESE

When it comes to grated cheese, you’ll find the flavor and texture of freshly grated cheese far superior to anything you’ll find in a bag. However, if time does not allow, you can always sub in a package of good, quality shredded cheese.

LAYERS 5, 6 & 7: THE TOPPINGS

The last items to go on your Mexican Layer Dip are the olives, tomatoes, and green onions. Be sure to drain the olives well (and maybe even pat them dry) before adding them to your dip.

Extra water content from the olives will seep into and affect the texture of the cheese. The same goes for the diced tomatoes, so you’ll want to make sure they are properly seeded before you begin dicing them. For tips on quickly and easily removing the seeds from tomatoes, see this article on working with tomatoes and making Homemade Fresh Salsa.

Green onions are the perfect choice for adding a just the right amount of onion flavor to your Mexican Layer Dip. They are mild and not overpowering in the slightest, but as mentioned earlier, when it comes to the toppings, feel free to eliminate those you don’t particularly care for.

SHELF-LIFE AND MAKE-AHEAD TIPS

Mexican Layer Dip will last for about 3 days in the refrigerator. Anything beyond this and the cheese and toppings will start to lose their freshness and texture. Do not attempt to freeze Seven Layer Dip.

MAKE-AHEAD MEXICAN LAYER DIP

You can make Seven Layer Dip the night before you intend to serve it. To do this, assemble the bottom three layers (i.e. the bean dip, guacamole, and the sour cream mixture) in the serving dish. Then, prepare and store the remaining ingredients in separate containers. Make sure to seal everything properly and keep refrigerated. Assemble the dip just before serving.

We last served this dip for a crowd of friends at a game day party. Everyone (and I mean e-ver-y-one) complemented this dip as they scooped it up, chip after chip. Most of them asking what was different about it while simultaneously raving about its addictive nature.

The difference lies in a perfect combination of fresh ingredients and a sour cream layer good enough to eat on its own. True to its name, this is the Ultimate Mexican Layer Dip and you can count on it to be the first to go at any given party spread. Please, enjoy!

5 MORE DIP RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE!

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail is a crowd-pleasing dip loaded with shrimp, avocado, cucumber and more, soaked in a spicy tomato juice and absolutely to die for served alongside tortilla chips!

Have ready a 4-cup capacity, rimmed serving dish. You could also use a pie dish or a small casserole dish.

To make the guacamole, in a medium-sized mixing bowl, mash together the flesh of avocados, lime juice, and Kosher salt using a fork or potato masher t until smooth.

In a small mixing bowl, stir together sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, and taco seasoning.

To assemble the seven layers of the dip, spread the bean dip evenly across the bottom of the dish using either an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Then, add the guacamole and spread evenly across the beans, and repeat with the layer of sour cream.

Sprinkle the Cheddar across the top of the dish, followed by the olives, tomatoes, and green onions.

This looks interesting, and sounds a lot more exciting than the usual dip. I love the taco seasoning recipe!! That will go a long way. I am going to make the dip for my friend’s graduation party this weekend. Thanks!

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Hi! I’m Kelly Anthony, a food columnist, baker, home chef and stay-at-home mom with a passion for food and an adoration for entertaining.

Comfort food is my specialty, and it is truly my pleasure to share these recipes with you. I hope you, your family and guests will cherish them as much as I do. Thank you for stopping by, and please, come back again. If you’d like to get to know me a little better, click here.

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